The present invention relates to packaging and casing systems and specifically to a packaging process whereby a plurality of articles may be removed from a supply, or infeed conveyor and alternatively placed into shipping boxes or cartons transported on outfeed conveyors located on opposite sides of the supply conveyor.
The process may be performed using a single, two-axis robot arm for pickup, transporting and release of an article or articles.
Past efforts in the field of packaging and casing of processed articles involved tedious and time-consuming manual operations, usually required a large number of personnel possessing a high degree of dexterity. Early mechanical innovations were also beset with numerous problems, such as high initial cost of apparatus involved, inability of such apparatus to adapt itself for use with other existing equipment utilized in the production of such articles, inability of such apparatus to meet the demands for high production of articles, or objects, to be packaged and encased in shipping cartons, and the susceptibility of such apparatus to repeated breakdown and repair, and thus incurring a high maintenance cost.
A known current operating system of which the applicant herein is aware, provides a single conveyor line used for transporting containers, or empty cartons, to be filled and operating in an xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d position and a xe2x80x9cloadxe2x80x9d position. A box or carton is formed and opened at the xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d position. Articles are placed in the carton at the xe2x80x9cloadxe2x80x9d position. In that location, the single conveyor line must be stopped during loading and a package-transporting robot arm is also stopped when the carton has been filled, and is retained in the stopped position until a new empty carton is placed in front of the robot arm. In contrast, the present system is continuous in operation. The present loading system for transferring manufactured articles into shipping boxes eliminates the need to stop the conveyor or the robot arm movement.
The present invention, in a preferred embodiment, provides a packaging and casing system, wherein a plurality of articles are removed from a supply, or infeed conveyor and are alternatively placed into shipping boxes or cartons transported on outfeed conveyors located at opposite sides of the supply conveyor. This embodiment may also include the use of a single, two-axis robot arm operating in a path transverse to the longitudinal, parallel paths of an intermediately disposed supply, or infeed conveyor, and a pair of outfeed conveyors located at opposite sides of the infeed conveyor. The robot arm and its end effector are designed to reach across its closest outfeed conveyor, the infeed conveyor, and thereafter to the outermost outfeed conveyor.
Thus, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a continuously operated packaging and casing system which will overcome the disadvantage of prior systems, wherein a single conveyor line must be stopped during loading and its cooperating robot arm must be stopped when a carton has been filled, and until a new empty carton has been placed in filling position directly in the operating path of the robot arm.